Washing machines



Sept. 29, 1964 YOSHIKAZU YAMANAKA 3,150,512

WASHING MACHINES Filed Sept. 4, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 M/ AM ATTORNEY;

p 1964 YOSHIKAZU YAMANAKA 3,150,512

WASHING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 4, 1962' BY 60m, M lamwk,ATTORNEY:

P 1964 YOSHIKAZU YAMANAKA 3,150,512

WASHING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 4, 1962 FIIII.

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,150,512 WASHING MACHINES YoshikazuYamanaka, Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan, assignor to Daiwa KikaiKabushiki Kaisha, Wakayama, Japan Filed Sept. 4, 1962, Ser. No. 221,056I Claims priority, application Japan Sept. 5, 1961 3 Claims. (Cl.68-184) This invention relates to a washing machine.

Washing machines heretofore in use, although there are many kinds, haveall been more or less dependent for their operation upon friction causedby relative movements of the Wash and the water currents, and owing tothese very movements the wash is often not only wrenched and kept frombeing given an even and thorough washing, but also the area of the washin contact with the Water is decreased greatly. In addition, the washalso has its texture greatly damaged.

With this object in view the present invention comprises a tank with arotor rotatably mounted in the tank for rotation around an axis. Therotor is a solid member having a plurality of flutings on the peripheralsurface thereof, each fluting having a cross sectional shape which isoutwardly convex. The flutings extend from one end of the rotor to theother at an angle to the axis of rotation. A perforated cover ispositioned over the rotor, the perforated cover being circular in across section perpendicular to the rotor axis and fitting closely tosaid rotor with the apexes of the flutings sweeping closely adjacent theinterior surface of the cover during rotation of the rotor.

According to the present invention, in Wash liquid of ordinary orchemical soap (hereafter designated simply as water) in a tank there aregenerated wave-motions which are high in amplitude and comparatively lowin frequency, and these wave motions consist of high pressure parts forcompressing the wash to accelerate the water in its pervasion of thewash, and low pressure parts for expanding the wash and pressing out thewater therefrom, these parts alternately reaching the floating wash, andat the same time there is generated slow circular currents which makethe washing still more even, with hardly any twisting of the wash beingcaused by these wave motions.

Other and the further objects of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following specification and claims taken together withthe accompanying drawings in which is shown the preferred embodiments ofthe washing machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation view of a washing machine embodying thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a rotor for the same;

FIG. 3 illustrates diagrammatically the movements of water around therotor;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevation view of another embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 5 is a transverse section through the rotor shown in FIG. 4.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 reference numeral 11 indicates a tank and on the bottom12 of the machine is mounted an electric motor 13. Numeral 14 indicatesa rotor rotatably mounted for rotation around a vertical axis in saidtank and having frusto-conical shape, driven by the electric motor 13.Numeral 15 indicates a perforated cover made of a plate having a numberof holes 15, and fixed to the bottom plate 16 of the tank 11, and therotor 14 is covered with this cover 15 so closely as to leave only asmall clearance between the two. To the bottom plate 16 is attached adischarge pipe 17.

The rotor 14 is a solid member having a plurality of fiutings 18 on theperipheral surface thereof, said flutings 18 extending from one end ofthe rotor to the other, and having a cross sectional shape which isoutwardly convex. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3, the flutings lie alongthe conical surface of the rotor 14. The perforated cover 15 has crosssection which is circular transverse to the axis of the rotor and itfits closely to the rotor with the apexes of the flutings 18 sweepingclosely adjacent the interior surface of the cover 15 during rotation ofthe rotor.

When the rotor 14 rotates, the front side 18 of each fluting 18, thatis, the side facing in the rotatary direction of the rotor 14 pressesagainst the water in contact therewith, and this water gushes out intothe tank 11 through the corresponding holes 15 of the cover 15, so thatin this part of the water there is generated a high pressureWave-motion, and in the water on the rear side 18 of the fluting 18,that is, the side facing in the direction opposite to that of therotation of the rotor 14 there is generated reduced pressure, and thewater outside the corresponding holes 15 of the cover 15 flows intherethrough, so that in this part of the water there is generated a lowpressure wave-motion traveling in the opposite direction to that of saidhigh pressure wave-motion.

The wash floating in the water in the tank 11, therefore, is rapidlywashed by cooperative workings of the high pressure wave-motion and thelow pressure wavemotion which alternately reach it.

The water above the rotor 14 on the axial line thereof is only veryslightly affected by the pressure waves, while pressure waves aregenerated on the circumference of the rotor 14, so that the water in thetank 11 slowly flows in the direction of the arrows shown in FIG. 1, andwith it the wash moves, every part of it being the more evenly andeffectively washed.

As seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rotor can be substantially cylindrical inshape. The rotor 14 is shown as being cylindrical and having theflutings 18 extending from the top to the bottom thereof and being skewto the axis of rotation of the rotor. The perforated casing 15' iscylindrical in shape and fits closely around the rotor 14' with theapexes of the flutings 18 sweeping closely adjacent the interior surfaceof the casing. The remainder of the structure is substantially the sameas the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understoodfrom the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changesmay be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the partswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention orsacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described andillustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. A Washing machine, comprising a tank, a rotor rotatably mounted forrotation around an axis in said tank,

said rotor being a solid member having a plurality of flutings on theperipheral surface thereof each having a cross sectional shape which isoutwardly convex and said flutings extending from one end of the rotorto the other at an angle to the axis of rotation, and a perforated coverover the rotor, said perforated cover being circular in a cross sectionperpendicular to the rotor axis and fitting closely to said rotor withthe apexes of the flutings sweeping closely adjacent the interiorsurface of the cover during rotation of said rotor, whereby said rotorand cover cooperate to produce an alternate movement of washing liquidoutwardly of the axis of rotation of the rotor from the side of thefiutings facing the direction in which the rotor is rotating andinwardly of the axis of rotation of the rotor from the side of theflutings facing away from the direction in which the rotor is rotating.

2. A washing machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said rotor isfrusto-conical in shape and said flutings are on the conical surfacethereof, and said perforated cover is close to the apexes of thefiutings on the conical surface and close to the top surface of therotor.

3. A washing machine as claimed in claim 1 in which said rotor iscylindrical and said flutings are on the cylindrical surface thereof andskew to the axis of rotation, and said perforated cover being close tothe flutings on the cylindrical surface of said rotor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,405,091 Culbreth July 30, 1946 2,734,122 Flannery Feb. 7, 19562,966,159 Ruegnitz Dec. 27, 1960 3,031,564 Levit Apr. 24, 1962

1. A WASHING MACHINE, COMPRISING A TANK, A ROTOR ROTATABLY MOUNTED FORROTATION AROUND AN AXIS IN SAID TANK, SAID ROTOR BEING A SOLID MEMBERHAVING A PLURALITY OF FLUTINGS ON THE PERIPHERAL SURFACE THEREOF EACHHAVING A CROSS SECTIONAL SHAPE WHICH IS OUTWARDLY CONVEX AND SAIDFLUTINGS EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF THE ROTOR TO THE OTHER AT AN ANGLE TOTHE AXIS OF ROTATION, AND A PERFORATED COVER OVER THE ROTOR, SAIDPERFORATED COVER BEING CIRCULAR IN A CROSS SECTION PERPENDICULAR TO THEROTOR AXIS AND FITTING CLOSELY TO SAID ROTOR WITH THE APEXES OF THEFLUTINGS SWEEPING CLOSELY ADJACENT THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE COVERDURING ROTATION OF SAID ROTOR, WHEREBY SAID ROTOR AND COVER COOPERATE TOPRODUCE AN ALTERNATE MOVEMENT OF WASHING LIQUID OUTWARDLY OF THE AXIS OFROTATION OF THE ROTOR FROM THE SIDE OF THE FLUTINGS FACING THE DIRECTIONIN WHICH THE ROTOR IS ROTATING AND INWARDLY OF THE AXIS OF ROTATION OFTHE ROTOR FROM THE SIDE OF THE FLUTINGS FACING AWAY FROM THE DIRECTIONIN WHICH THE ROTOR IS ROTATING.